VVVVVVReview

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The indie PC hit arrives on Nintendo's 3DS.

By Lucas M. Thomas

The high-profile 3DSWare releases continue, as hot on the heels of Nintendo's Pushmo and WayForward's Mighty Switch Force comes VVVVVV, a new eShop version of the popular PC platformer. VVVVVV first made a name for itself in 2010 thanks to its unpronounceable title, its Commodore 64-era visual design and its devilish difficulty all centered on one gameplay mechanic -- inverting gravity. Flipping a hero upside-down to walk on the ceiling had been seen before in gaming, but VVVVVV's version of inversion was brilliantly brutal.

Thankfully, it's still just as fun as ever to die, and die, and die again as you try to guide the pixel-simple Captain Viridian on his quest to rescue the stranded members of his spaceship crew -- the game intends for you to fail frequently, and copious checkpoint placement assures that you'll always respawn nearby after any unsuccessful attempt to guide the good Captain through corridors of spikes, or hallways full of enemies, or both. This 3DS version is also a bit more comfortable to control -- thanks to the 3DS's Circle Pad and actual buttons taking the place of a PC keyboard -- and it's a bit more content-robust than you might expect, thanks to its inclusion of several new levels designed by fans (including one by Notch, our 2011 Games Person of the Year).

Where VVVVVV comes up short, though, is in its visuals. The game's natural 4:3 aspect ratio is preserved -- which purists will prefer over any stretching effects that could have been applied -- but that means there's a lot of unused real estate on the left and right sides of the upper screen. The 3D effect that's been added here is disappointing too, as it offers only a very weak sense of depth to the flat worlds the Captain explores. As with 3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure, trying to tack on stereoscopics to a sprite-based game likes this is only minimally interesting.

What's worse, there's an odd "ghosting" after-effect that shows up on foreground elements here when you activate the 3D at even a low level of intensity. Just a really poor application all around. Keep the slider dialed down for this one.

Lastly, I've got to take some issue with the pricing applied here -- $7.99 is too steep for a port like this, especially in the wake of eShop exclusives Pushmo and Mighty Switch Force both being sold cheaper. When you put the issues together, it makes me think that VVVVVV was probably intended to be an 800 Point DSiWare release instead of coming only to the 3DS. Would've been more impressive in that format, too.

VVVVVV

In VVVVVV, you play as Captain Viridian, who must not only save a dimension on the brink of collapse, but also find your ship's crew -- all of whose names begin with the letter V.

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The Verdict

As it is, VVVVVV is still a spike-lined, death-packed good time. Its steeper price and wimpy 3D just make it feel like more of a straightforward PC port and less like something truly special for the eShop.